1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to chiropractic or osteopathic implements for restoring or tending to restore a portion of the body to its normal position or to a more proper position, and more particularly to a positioner for a recumbent user comprising a formed element beneficial to the cervical spine when a patient lays supine upon the element.
2. Description of the Related Art
While the modern world provides many opportunities and benefits that did not exist in years past, the results of the changes that have occurred over the years are not always as beneficial as one might hope. While the modern world frees us from the dangers and unpredictability of the hunting and gathering lifestyle of our ancestors, which many people are quite grateful for, there are negative side effects that have come with the changes. One striking change is the general pace of life and pressures associated therewith, which leads to much stress in many individuals. Back in the days of our distant ancestors, adverse hormones produced during stress, such as cortisol, were worked off physically. The physical activity often restored the health and well-being of the individual. Unfortunately, the adverse health effects associated with what is often a more sedentary lifestyle, such as may be found in the confines of an office or cubicle, include such issues as a lack of or greatly reduced physical activity that could otherwise alleviate the adverse affects of stress and a seeming endless confinement to various chairs, seats and other body supports. This combination often leads to tension, knots, fatigue and other undesirable musculo-skeletal phenomena in many individuals.
While some individuals are fortunate enough to have recognized the benefits of the services of a masseuse or chiropractor to help them to relieve the tension and stress that accumulates within their bodies, such services are dependent upon the individual recognizing the need for help, being able to afford such help as frequently as required, and upon the skill and knowledge of the professional to be able to adequately provide the much needed physical treatment.
One such area where services are often required is in the treatment of the cervical vertebrae that define a person's neck. While proponents of evolution believe that man's evolution involved a transition from a hunched posture, modern man leaning over a keyboard, an assembly line, or even a workpiece in a machine shop seems to directly resemble that hunched posture. This puts substantial stress on a person's neck. Furthermore, many people tend to concentrate stress at various focal points within their body, and the cervical vertebrae are a common location. In addition, certain medical conditions such as cervical spondylosis and migraine headaches produce moderate to severe discomfort in the cervical region of the afflicted individual. Release of the occipital ridge is highly beneficial to proper chiropractic treatment or stress release. Finally, without the rigors of regular activity, even sudden movements of a person's head or sleeping in an awkward position can be sufficient to trigger pain, soreness, and tension in a person's neck.
The only currently widely-available effective treatments for neck pain require direct manual treatment or manipulation of the afflicted person. Such treatments require the full time and attention of a skilled masseuse or chiropractor. As a result, the masseuse or chiropractor is unable to tend to other patients in need during the provision of neck services, driving the costs for such treatments up, and, again, requiring not only diagnostic skill by the professional but also significant manual work.
A primary requirement of proper treatment of the cervical vertebrae is to provide gentle traction. This is a gentle pulling that tends to pull the vertebrae apart from each other, which is quite different from the ordinary compression that occurs throughout the day when a person is in a more upright position. This gentle pull permits fluids to flow in between skeletal components that are not otherwise as open to fluid passage. Traction can be beneficially applied to many musculo-skeletal ailments, but rarely will any relieve as much stress or bring as much relief and pleasure to a person as traction applied directly to the occipital ridge, which is at the back of the head where the base of the skull protrudes from the spine.
A number of artisans have heretofore recognized the benefits of cervical traction. Various patents and publications illustrating apparatus that incorporate pneumatic traction, the contents and teachings of each which are incorporated herein by reference, include: U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,479 by Chitwood, entitled “Cervical traction device”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,781 by Chitwood, entitled “Inflatable cervical traction/stretch device”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,176 by Graham, entitled “Inflatable cervical traction and exercising device”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,649 by Chitwood, entitled “Neck curvature alignment device”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,841 by Graham, entitled “Inflatable cervical cervico-thoracic thoraco-lumbar and lumbar exercising device”; and Chinese patent publication 201019888Y. While these devices are capable of providing relief to certain individuals in carefully controlled situations, there are a number of drawbacks associated with pneumatic devices. The first and most obvious drawback is the relative fragility of the apparatus, which is prone to accidental punctures and leaks. However, a second and potentially more serious drawback is the inability of an inexperienced user to accurately determine the appropriate amount of traction to generate, which creates the associated risk of too great or too little traction force being applied by the user of the apparatus. Pneumatic devices are capable of generating great forces with only relatively small pressure increases. In other words, a change of only one pound per square inch (PSI) in internal pressure, which is only one-fifteenth of ordinary atmospheric pressure, when applied across a ten to twenty square inch occipital ridge region will lead to ten to twenty pounds of force being applied thereto. Clearly, just a few pounds of internal pressure within the pneumatic device can undesirably lead to harmful forces being generated within the cervical region of the patient. Finally, owing to the necessary compliance of the pneumatic device, there is no real opportunity to generate increased patient application forces in selected specific regions while avoiding application forces in other specific regions.
Other artisans have illustrated mechanical traction apparatus, the contents and teachings of each which are incorporated herein by reference, including: U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,202 by Miller et al, entitled “Cervical traction device”; Chinese patent publication 2734181Y; Chinese patent publication 201253278Y; and Chinese patent publication 201119936Y. While potentially more durable than the pneumatic counterparts, these mechanical apparatus suffer from similar risks in terms of a patient's ability to readily determine appropriate application forces.
Weight-induced traction can overcome the limitations regarding proper traction forces, if properly designed. Unfortunately, a surprising number of the prior weight-induced traction devices achieve traction simply by draping the body part over a domed or elevated member. This type of traction is of less benefit to a patient, owing to the necessary curvature of the spine about the support. Exemplary patents, the teachings and contents which are incorporated herein by reference, include: Chinese patent publication 2562676Y; Chinese patent publication 2868279Y; Chinese patent publication 201213643Y; Chinese patent publication 101574216A; and Chinese patent publication 2671449Y.
A few artisans have provided patents and publications that illustrate weight-induced traction that truly applies traction forces rather than simple gravitational forces developed about a simple curve. Exemplary patents that utilize differently angled fingers, which collapse in different directions when weight is applied thereto, the contents and teaching which are incorporated herein by reference, include: U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,342 by Forster, entitled “Mattress for a sitting or lying person”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,573 by Ramos, entitled “Body contour massage device and method”; and Japanese patent publication 2005288131A. The fingers used in these apparatus act simultaneously as a cushion and also to provide traction. However, since the fingers are relatively small and densely packed, the amount of maximum traction is quite limited, and the actual traction obtained is very subject to final positional movements by the patient. Consequently, predictable traction forces remain quite elusive. Additionally, these apparatus are extremely sensitive to proper patient positioning, and yet there is little to assist the patient with such positioning.
Two spring-loaded traction devices, the teachings and contents which are incorporated herein by reference, include Chinese patent publication 2870777Y and Chinese patent publication 2505048Y. While these pillows can be used to create a predictable amount of traction for a given weight load, these apparatus only provide engagement with the person's head, presumably depending upon the person resting upon a suitable surface. This means that the traction is unpredictably distributed throughout the person's vertebrae.
US published application 2007/0276438 by Meglin et al, the teachings and contents which are incorporated herein by reference, entitled “Back alignment device,” provides massages transverse to a person's spine but provides no teachings for how this apparatus might be used for traction. Other patents and publications, the teachings and contents which are incorporated herein by reference, include: U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,647 by Choy, entitled “Spinal acupressure device”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,080 by Ookawa et al, entitled “Massaging apparatus having self-adjusting constant strength and non-adjust strength modes”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,443 by Garth, entitled “Seating products with self powered dynamic massage units”; US published application 2004/0064974 by Schuster, entitled “Mechanical support which can be arched, distorted, rotated and deformed”; Chinese patent publication 101455597A; Chinese patent publication 201085764Y; Chinese patent publication 201213896Y; and Chinese patent publication 2607120Y. In addition to the foregoing patents and publications, Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition copyright 1983, is incorporated herein by reference in entirety for the definitions of words and terms used herein.